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Thursday, June 2, 2016

Budget Re-cap: May 2016

We like to budget around here. It's something that we are committed to and feel strongly about as we work to be good stewards of the resources that we've been entrusted with. I've talked on here before about why we budget, how we budget, etc. (You can find all of those posts at the bottom of this page).

What I realized that I don't talk too much about here are the specific ways that we spend our budget and while I do enjoy a good personal finance blog - I tend to go back and forth about what I feel comfortable with for blog life vs. keeping personal in real life. That said, I was recently inspired by one of the blogs I read, The Cream to My Coffee when she did a budget rewind post a few weeks ago. That is, she went back to things that she purchased long before and reflected on whether or not they were good purchases.

So today, I'm sharing what I spent my $$ on in May and hope to use this as a monthly little check in to see what I'm spending on - to share some of the deals that I find and to explore ways to keep thrifty over here. Each month, hubs and I allocate $75 to each of us for what we call our "fun money". That is, recognizing that we have different spending habits and things that we enjoy buying for ourselves, we each get our own little pot of money each month to spend how we want. This might not seem like a lot, and some months it really doesn't seem like a lot, but it is what it is. $75 is for us to "play" with if you will.

This month was actually a really low spending month from the fun budget for me. Which is not terrible since I bought lots of things and went out with lots of friends in April since it was my last month working in the office. Fortunately though, there were some fun free things I did this month that I didn't even think about spending from my fun money that much.

PURCHASES

I ended up getting these two long sleeve t-shirts from Target (links below photos) on clearance for just $4.48 each. With an additional online coupon code and 5% with the redcard, the total for both of these, with free shipping of course because of the redcard, was just $7.47. Major score. It's actually way too hot to wear long sleeves often this time of year, but I love a good comfy white tee that is versatile in all seasons and I really just loved the mint color, so welcome home little shirts.

And that's all I "spent" this month. I was able to do some fun free things this month thanks to a gift card and a birthday freebie - and of course we still do fun things with our date fund. :)

FREEBIES
- Dinner at Panera with girlfriends while hubs was traveling. I got the Cobb Salad with Chicken & Avocado and it was DELISH. Purchased with a gift card from former co-workers.
- Venti Decaf Vanilla Latte from Starbucks: $0 because hubs had a birthday drink that was kindly gifted to me. :)

- Baby storytime at the library - weekly entertainment for almost an hour with the little - this is a treat to me, which is why I'm listing it. I love being close to local resources like the library and several parks that we can use for family time rather than going out spending money.

OTHER NOTABLE PURCHASES - Fresh strawberries from the farm: $4.50 (about) - we went strawberry picking with friends which was super fun, but from our date fund and not my fun money. - A stand-up plastic storage container for the pantry: $4.26 from Marshall's. I've been wanting one of these to keep our spaghetti noodles standing in the pantry to save space. Thanks to a tiny bit left over on a gift card, we got this one for less than $5. It's the little things, people. From the home supplies budget.

- A swim outfit (swim trunks, shirt, and hat) and July 4th onesie for the Little from a local Once Upon a Child: $4.48. I was pumped about this one. From the baby supplies budget.

And that's it, friends. What are you spending your $$ on this month? I hope to make these posts a monthly thing to share what new things we've bought that I'm really excited about and other ways that we have fun around here without spending money.

Thanks! It is good to keep track of how we spend our money! I'm guilty of buying things quickly because they are on a good deal and then not really using them. It's something that I am working to do a much better job of these days.

Thank you for stopping by; I love the party! I am really trying to work on considering after I buy as well. Nothing like buying something and then wishing you didn't. I'm hopeful that this will help me learn what things I really want before I spend money on them.

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About Me

Christ follower. Wife. Mama. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Thrift for Today is about all things thrifty, home, marriage, family, and friendship. Blogging about a little of this and a little of that, I'm happy that you're here and I hope you'll come back!